How far is Pilanesberg National Park from the hotel?

Eleven kilometres. Morning drives leave before dawn and afternoon drives return after sunset.

Is Pilanesberg malaria-free?

Yes. Pilanesberg National Park is a malaria-free Big Five reserve, which is why it suits families and visitors who would rather not take prophylactics.

Can I drive myself through the park?

Yes, Pilanesberg has tarred roads and you can self-drive in an ordinary car. A guided drive in an open vehicle gets you higher up and puts a guide who knows the animals in front of you.

Pilanesberg game drives, 11 km away

An old volcano, full of animals.

Pilanesberg is not a fenced corner of farmland with a few animals on it. It is a ring of hills that were a volcano 1.2 billion years ago, and the park fills the crater: fifty-five thousand hectares of it, with elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo inside. The whole reserve is malaria-free, which is the reason a lot of families choose this park over the lowveld.

11 kmto the park
55 000 haof reserve
Big Fiveall present
Malariafree

Going out

Two ways to see it.

In an open vehicle, with a guide. Drives leave before first light and again in the late afternoon, which is when the animals move. You sit high, someone else watches the road, and the guide knows where the lions were yesterday. Ask at reception the day before - we arrange it.

Or drive yourself. The park's roads are tarred and an ordinary car manages them. You pay conservation fees at the gate, you keep your windows up near the elephants, and you go at your own pace. Take water and take longer than you think you need.

Ask about a game drive

Timing

When to go, and what you'll see.

First light and last light. The middle of the day is hot and the animals are lying in shade you cannot see into. In summer that means leaving by five; in winter you get a lie-in until six, and winter is the better season anyway - the grass is short, the bush is thin, and everything has to come to the waterholes.

Nobody can promise you a leopard. Elephant, rhino, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe and warthog are close to routine; lion are common enough; leopard is the one you earn.

Questions

Before you go out.

How far is the park from the hotel?: Eleven kilometres.
Is Pilanesberg malaria-free?: Yes - no tablets needed, which is why it suits young children and anyone who would rather not take prophylactics.
Can I self-drive?: Yes. Tarred roads, ordinary car, conservation fees at the gate.
What should I take?: Warm layers for a morning drive even in summer, sunblock for later, water, and binoculars if you own a pair.
Is it good for children?: Very. Malaria-free, short drive, and the animals are close to the road. A self-drive lets you leave when they have had enough.

Back at the hotel there is a pool, a waterpark and quad biking, and a bed eleven kilometres from all of it.

Flying in from abroad? Planning a malaria-free safari near Johannesburg covers the airport shuttle, the seasons and what to expect.